Daniel Ra

Director of Project Strategy

Daniel aims to reduce friction between people and technology, whether he’s greasing the wheels himself or as part of a team. He’s been committed to fostering creative and proven solutions in his roles as a technical product manager, in tech support and now as a project strategist at the Ranch.

Daniel has used his experience as the owner of apps and products for a major research university to unite people and technology, taking advantage of constant client feedback, Scrum methodology and user stories to establish priorities and maintain initiatives. He continued these efforts by implementing a Tech Talk series to help faculty learn how to use the new systems and other technology in their teaching.

With this kind of structure and discipline in his work, it’s no surprise that Daniel’s a musical whiz as much as he is a technical whiz. While the electric guitar is his instrument of choice, he’s branched out to many more, including traditional Korean percussion instruments. Besides his musical inclinations, he’s a connoisseur of beer, whisk(e)y and coffee, enjoys a good hike and just spending time at home with his wife and their Shih Tzu Louie.

Have you ever wondered what goes into a mobile app that you use on your smartphone? Wonder no more! There’s no magic to the apps we use. While we won’t dive into nitty-gritty details of a mobile app’s architecture, this easy-to-understand diagram should give you a good foundation to communicate your needs with us.

One thing that sets Big Nerd Ranch instructors apart is we consider ourselves students first. That’s definitely the case with Kristin Marsicano, whose passion for learning and asking questions has solidified her as an Android expert in a few short years. Her advice to all her fellow programmers out there might surprise you.

One of the things that separates Big Nerd Ranch from the competition is that our clients walk away with better ways of building products and managing the development, in addition to their finished application. Learn why the Product Owner role is so important, and why we ask our clients to fill it.

Eric Ries’ methodology of building and growing a company through the minimum viable product (MVP), codified in The Lean Startup (2011), has caught on rapidly among tech entrepreneurs. But it can also be used by enterprises to drive business forward.

When a new client starts working with Big Nerd Ranch, they hear about a role called the Project Strategist. And while we do not have an exclusive claim on that job title, the Project Strategist’s responsibilities are what sets up apart.

Big Nerd Ranch builds products with agility. However, we’re not strict adherents to any particular methodology. We’re not Scrum zealots, extreme programming purists or kanban fanatics. Why? Because we accept that no one methodology will solve all of our problems.

We have the privilege of working with clients big and small, and partnering with them to see their visionary dream through is a wholly rewarding experience. Over the years, we’ve fine-tuned our understanding and approach to consulting for startup entrepreneurs. If you’re looking to start a business with a technology hook like a mobile app or a website, here are some basic fundamentals to help you in partnering with us.